12 Questions with Dawn Gray, owner of Gray Talent Group

What’s your sign?
Virgo

How did you fall into this wacky business?
I was a child actor, but chose not to pursue acting after graduating from college. When my son was five, he said mom "I want to be an actor." I tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't give up, so I got him an agent and he started auditioning and working and I fell in love with business all over again. I wound up getting back into the business first by producing a film called "Stray Dogs" and then I became an agent at Encore about seven years ago.

What is it about a good headshot that attracts you?
Good headshots make me want to meet the actor. Either they are pleasant or interesting, but there is something that just jumps out and grabs me and makes me want to know more.

What makes for a great day at work?
When my actors are successful. I have an actor who was flown out to LA for a Mad-TV callback and hearing about her day-to-day accounts is exciting.  That is the big story, but even something as simple as one of my actors giving a great audition makes my day. I have been representing this one young man for about a year and he hasn't been wowing people. But he had the opportunity to be put on tape for a pilot for a casting director in town. I told him flat out, "You need to do better, work with a great coach." He did and the casting director told him he was the only actor who made her laugh all day. Since then he has booked a commercial and been called in to a lot more auditions.

What can make your day suck?
Actors canceling auditions on the same day. I work so hard to get them into these auditions. An overall lack of respect as to how hard this business is and the level of commitment an actor should make to be successful.

What is favorite aspect of working with actors?
Watching them grow and develop as performers.

Are theatre credits important on an actor’s resume?  Why or why not?
I believe working in theatre makes you a better actor. Chicago is a theatre town and some of the best experience comes from being in amazing plays here. It is tough to get that kind of experience in films in Chicago. Because the roles for the major films that are cast here are generally smaller.

What is one piece of advice you would give someone just starting to enter the ‘on-camera’ world that have some training?  That have very little training?
I have the same advice to everyone. We put a lot of people on tape and send auditions out to LA. It seems that more often than not, all of the actors come in and read the scenes in the same way. I think an actor should ask himself what am I bringing to this audition that is unique to me. Why should a casting director cast me over the other actors who are auditioning for this project. What can I bring to this role that no one else does. 

What’s the worst thing an actor can do at an audition?
Talk himself out of the part before he even gets to the audition. I will call out an audition and have actors say. "I am not right for this." Well if the casting director knows you and wants to see you, you need to trust them. The casting directors in this town are great and they wouldn't waste their time if they didn't see something in you. They may have access to information the actor or even the agent doesn't have through their conversations with the director.

What are you reading right now?
I just finished a book called "The Heroine," which I loved. Fiction characters come to stay at a modern bed and breakfast when their lives are at the lowest point in the novel. That prompted me to read "Anna Karenina," because she is in the book and I was in the play when I was five at the Goodman.  All I remembered was my one line. "Lili found a mushroom."

What’s the difference between multi-listed and going exclusive?  Which do you prefer and why?
We are an exclusive-only agency. We believe it promotes more of a partnership in growing a career. We work so hard for our actors pushing to get them in for auditions and when we had actors who were multi-listed, it was frustrating, when we pushed to get a new talent into a casting director and then they booked a commercial through another agent. We spend a lot of time doing one- on- one pushing to get auditions for actors in addition to pursuing breakdowns. I couldn't do it if we had a bigger talent base.

What is your favorite junk food?
Chocolate...anything chocolate.